Rotary brush



- March 7, 1967 A, T. SCHOFIELD 3,307,213-

ROTARY BRUSH Filed Oct. 21 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1' FIG.|

METALLIC WIRE INVENTOR, ARTHUR T. SCHOFiELD ATTORNEYS March 1957 A. T. SCHOFIELD ROTARY BRUSH 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed om. 21, 1964 INVENTO ARTHUR T. SCH OFI EL% ATTORNEYS March 7, 1967 A. T. SCHOFIELD 3,307,213

ROTARY BRUSH Filed Oct. 21, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ls F56- a3 PEG. I2

INVENTOR,

ARTHUR T- SCHOFIELD BY M,

ATTORN EYS United States Patent 3,307,213 ROTARY BRUSH Arthur T. Schofield, Brecksville, Ohio, assignor to The Manufacturers Brush Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 405,375 7 Claims. (Cl. 179) This invention relates to rotary brushes and more particularly to a new and improved brush of this type, wherein the brush material is maintained uniformly distributed throughout and to the method of producing the same.

Heretofore, in the production of rotary brushes it has been the usual practice to secure the brush material between two concentric rings having relative diameters such that the rings exert pressure to secure brush material therebetween as shown in United States Letters Patent No. 2,288,337. Rotary brushes of such construction sometimes failed in use because the brush material moved circumferentially of the rings, thus concentrating at localized circumferential zones and causing the brush to be out of balance. This caused an uneven work surface and other problems. In use, the brush material of prior rotary brushes also tended to twist, so that its axes no longer remained radially of the rings. This also caused the brush to be unbalanced and present a non-uniform brushing surface to the work.

The present invention is directed to a rotary brush in which the brush material is segmentally secured, circumferentially about concentric rings supporting the same, and wherein there is presented a working surface that remains concentric with the hub of the brush at all times. The rotary brush of the present invention always remains in balance, wears uniformly, and under ordinary service has a maximum useful life.

In producing the rotary brush having these desirable characteristics, an inner ring, or hub ring, is first formed of an elongated strip of metal having transverse corrugations and prongs projecting from the strip equally spaced from the longitudinal edges thereof. The hub ring when formed has corrugations which are parallel to the axis of the ring extending around the circumference thereof, as well as radially extending prongs extending outwardly therefrom in parallel radial planes. These corrugations and prongs serve to locate each segment of brush material in a fixed position with respect to the hub ring.

One edge of the hub ring is then flared and units of substantially equal weight of brush material are placed in each of the portions of the hub ring defined by the corrugation grooves and adjacent prongs, around the outside circumference of the hub ring. An outer ring, or locking ring, is then placed around the assembled hub ring and brush material. The unflared edge of the hub ring is then flared and the hub ring expanded. This causes the edges of the locking ring to be bent toward each other. Pressure is then applied to the flared edges of the hub ring until the edge portions are flattened and extend parallel to each other. Simultaneously therewith, the edges of the locking ring collapse toward each other. The parallel sides of the hub ring are joined [by a substantially flat surface upon the completion of the brush.

During the bending of the hub ring, the prongs projecting therefrom are brought into substantial contact with the base portion of the locking ring, thus serving to position the same with respect to the side walls of the hub ring during formation and securing the brush material in uniformly arranged groups circumferentially around the rings and presenting a continuous brushing surface.

Various objects and advantageous features of the invention, not at this time more particularly pointed out, will 3,307,213 Patented Mar. 7, 1967 become more apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters denote corresponding parts and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rotary brush made in accordance with the present invention, 1

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged front view of a segment of the brush shown in FIGURE 1 taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged sectional view of the brush shown in FIGURE 1 taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 wherein wire brush material is employed in place of bristle material,

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the locking and hub'rings prior to assembly, showing each ring in section with parts broken away and also showing one edge portion of the hub ring outwardly flared,

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the hub ring, taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the locking ring, taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 8 is a elevational view of the locking ring, illustrating an alternate construction,

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view of the locking ring taken along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8,

' FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal section-a1 view of the assembled elements of the brush prior to the application of pressure to secure the assembly together,

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the assembled elements of the brush taken along the line 1111 of FIGURE 10,

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary sectional view of the brush taken along the line 1111 of FIGURE 10 illustrating the relative positions of the brush elements after initial application of bending and flaring pressure.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary radial sectional view of the completed brush after pressure has been applied to secure the brush elements together, and

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary sectional view of the assembled brush elements as illustrated in FIGURE 13 taken along the line 14-44 of FIGURE 13, with the brush material omitted from the assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG- URES 1 through 4, there is illustrated a rotary brush constructed in accordance with the present invention and comprising a hub ring 10, generally U-shaped in crosssection having opposed side walls 11 and 12 which extend in substantially parallel planes, and a base wall 13 connecting the side walls and extending normal thereto. At the juncture between the side walls 11 and 12, and the base wall 13, there are provided inwardly projecting prongs 14 and 15, respectively, circumferentially spaced equal distances about the hub ring. The prongs extends from the corners of the base 13, into the U-shaped channel at an angle of about 45 degrees to the median plane of the brush. The prongs 14 and 15 serve to separate the U-shaped channel into circumferentially spaced segments or pockets for receiving and permanently locating brush material 16. The locking ring 17 is disposed in the channel formed by the side walls 11 and 12 and is engaged by the radially outer ends of the prongs 14 and 15. The latter serve to maintain the position of ring 17 with respect to the side walls 11 and 12. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the brush material is securely compressed between the outer wall of the locking ring 17 and the walls of the U-shaped channel.

The locking ring 17 thus cooperates with the prongs 14 and 15 to form segmented pockets in which the brush material is compressed axially and radially. The thus formed pockets preclude axial and circumferential shifting of the brush material 16 and uniformly anchor equal weights of brush material about the periphery of the brush. Accordingly, the brush is maintained in balance under severe working conditions when rotated at high speeds, and presents a uniform continuous peripheral Working surface under fixed pressures at all times during its life. In FIGURES 1 through 3, the brush material used may be any suitable type of natural or synthetic fiber. In FIGURE 4, metallic wire is substituted for the conventional bristle material for this type of brush.

In producing the rotary brush illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 4, the hub ring 10 is formed by taking a fiat strip of metal of the required size and transversely corrugating the same throughout its length. Two rows of upstanding prongs 14 and 15 are then sheared from the strip and raised to a position normal to the body of the strip. The distance between the rows is about the same as the distance from the adjacent longitudinal edge of the strip. The bodies of the prongs 14 and 15 are accurately positioned so that one end of each prong is connected to the body portion of the strip, preferably at the bottom of a groove 18 formed by the corrugations. One corrugation groove 18 is disposed between each successive pair of prongs 14 and 15 (FIGURES 5 and As shown in FIGURE 5, the two prongs 14 and which lie within a corrugation groove 18 are sheared so that one prong is formed from each side of the groove, to avoid any unnecessary transverse weakening of the strip.

The locking ring 17, shown in FIGURE 5, is formed from a strip of metal, arcuate in cross-section, that is rolled into a cylinder and butt welded or welded at overlapping ends (FIGURE 6), to produce the final configuration shown in FIGURE 5. An alternate method of construction is to form the ring 17 from two turns of metal strip 19 that have the inside and outside ends overlapped suificiently to permit them to be spot welded or flat welded together. As shown in FIGURE 8, the ring 17 is formed from the laminated strip and has the same substantially circular segmental cross-section (FIGURE 9) as the ring 17 of FIGURE 5.

In assembling the brush of the present invention, uniform units of brush material 16 are positioned on the outer surface of the hub ring 10 (FIGURE 11) so that each unit is positioned transversely in a corrugation groove 18 between pairs of spaced upstanding'prongs 14 and 15. The position of each unit 20 is shown in FIG- URE 10 in dotted cross-section. For purposes of clarity the brush material is shown in smaller volume than actually used. The assembled hub ring 10 and units of equal weight of brush material 20 are mounted on a supporting head (not shown), the extending brush material is then drawn together and held while the locking ring 17 is positioned over the bristles by means of a carrier unit (not shown) that is hydraulically operated to move the ring 17 to a specific location axially and laterally with respect to the hub ring 10. At this time, the locking ring 17 and the hub ring 10 have inner radii which may be designated as RA and RB, respectively, as shown in FIG- URE 11.

The unfiared edge of the hub ring 10 is then'flared and the diameter thereof expanded, causing the inner radius of the hub ring to increase by about 41, of an inch to a length of RB+V as shown in FIGURE 12. As continued pressure is applied to'expand the hub ring, the circular edge portions of ring 10, outwardly from the rows of prongs 14 and 15, are bent inwardly to form the side walls 11 and 12 of the U-shaped channel. Simultaneously, the radius of the ring 17 is decreased about of an inch to a length of RA1/32, also as shown in FIG- URE 12.

Pressure on the flared edges of the hub ring 10 is continued until the same are flattened (FIGURE 13). Simultaneously, the peripheral edges of the locking ring zones thereby, inserting a locking ring over the brush 17 collapse toward each other and the final cross-sectional shapes of the rings 10 and 17 are shown in FIGURE 13. This additional pressure further decreases the inner radius of the locking ring 17 by about 5, of an inch and further substantially increases the inner radius of the hub ring 10 by about an equal amount so that the final radii are RA and RB+ respectively, as shown in FIG- URE 13. The base wall 13 of the U-shaped channel thus formed is substantially flat with the side walls extending substantially normal thereto.

When this flattening operation is completed, it is found that the prongs 14 and 15 of the hub ring 10 base in the intersection of the side walls 11 and 12 and project inwardly into substantial contact with the center portion of the base of the locking ring 17, as shown in FIGURE 13.

The transverse corrugations of the strip of metal of which the hub ring is formed prevent radial splitting of the outer edges of the hub ring during the final forming operation of the brush.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description, the prongs 14 and 15 serve not only to hold the units of brush material in fixed circumferential position in the brush assembly during forming and prevent them from moving or twisting, but they also serve to rigidly locate the locking ring 17 both axially and circumferentially, as shown in FIGURES l3 and 14.

While there has been described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings a presently preferred em bodirnent of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and refinements which depart from the illustrated embodiment may be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of constructing a rotary brush which includes the steps of forming a cylindrical hub having circumferentially spaced pairs of outwardly extending axially spaced prongs extending radially from the surface thereof, assembling brush material transversely on the exterior surface of the hub between said prongs, placing a locking ring over the brush material encircling the hub member, fianging up the opposed edge portions of the hub and bringing the ends of the prongs into engagement with opposed axially spaced positions on the locking ring by compressing the flared sides of the hub ring until the edges of the locking ring substantially contact.

2.-The method of constructing a rotary brush which includes the steps of forming a cylindrical hub having circumferentially spaced pairs of outwardly extending prongs and a transverse corrugation formed on the outer surface thereof, and extending axially across said cylindrical hub and intermediate each succeeding pair of prongs assembling uniform units of brush material in the corrugation grooves on the exterior of the hub intermediate said prongs to thereby position said material by said corrugations and pairs of prongs at axially spaced zones, encircling the assembled brush material and hub with a lock ing ring, simultaneously flaring the side portions of the locking ring and hub while increasing the diameter of the hub by flattening corrugations and decreasing the diameter of the locking ring while axially compressing the hub ring until it is substantially U-shape in cross-section and the peripheral edges of the locking ring substantially contact each other.

3. The method of constructing a rotary brush which includes the steps of forming an elongated strip of sheet metal with equally spaced transverse corrugations, striking axially aligned spaced pairs of prongs from said strip equally spaced from the longitudinal edges thereof and having a corrugation between each successive pair of prongs, forming said strip into a ring with the projections extending radially outwardly therefrom, placing a tuft of brush material transversely of said ring between successive pairs of said prongs and positioned at axially spaced material and concentric with said first ring, flaring up both edge portions of the first ring to bring the ends of the prongs toward engagement with axially spaced positions on the locking ring and thereafter compressing the side portions of the locking ring until the edges thereof substantially contact into prongs set against axially spaced portions of the base of the locking ring.

4. The method of constructing a rotary brush which includes the steps of forming an elongated strip of metal with equally spaced transverse corrugations thereacross, striking transversely aligned pairs of prongs from said strip equally spaced from the longitudinal edges thereof, forming said strip into a ring with the projections extending radially outwardly therefrom in axially spaced pairs in radial planes, placing brush material transversely of said ring between pairs of said prongs, inserting a locking ring over the brush material and concentric with said first ring, flaring up the edge portions of both rings, while increasing the diameter of the first ring and decreasing the diameter of the second ring, and bringing the ends of the prongs into engagement with the locking ring at spaced positions on opposite sides thereof and thereafter further axially compressing the side portions of the first ring until the same is substantially U-shaped in cross-section and simultaneously therewith, collapsing the side portions of the second ring and engaging the peripheral edges thereof.

5. A cylindrical rotary brush comprising a hub ring substantially U-shaped in cross-section and defining a channel for receiving brush material, pairs of axially spaced and transversely aligned prongs projecting into the channel of the hub ring at circumferentially spaced points thereabout, a sheet metal endless annular locking ring arranged concentrically with respect to the channel of said hub ring, and brush material clamped in the channel between said hub ring and said locking ring, said locking ring having wall portions arranged with respect to the walls of said channel to securely clamp the brush material therebetween.

6. A cylindrical rotary brush comprising a hub ring of channel form in cross-section for receiving brush material having a base and upstanding parallel side walls, transversely aligned axially spaced prongs projecting angularly into the channel of the hub ring from the corners of the base, a locking ring arranged concentrically with respect to the channel of said hub ring, the inner ends of said prongs serving to position the locking ring axially and laterally with respect to the side walls of the channel, and brush material disposed in the channel between said hub ring and said locking ring, said locking ring having wall portions arranged with respect to the walls of said channel to securely clamp the brush material therebetween.

7. A cylindrical rotary brush comprising a hub ring of substantially channel form in cross-section having a base and outwardly extending side walls, transversely aligned axially spaced prongs angularly projecting from the intersection of the base and side walls of said hub ring into the channel of the hub ring at circumferentially spaced points thereabout and serving to defined pockets between axially spaced prongs for the reception of brush material, a locking ring disposed in the channel and engaging the ends of the prongs, brush material disposed in the channel pockets between said hub ring and said locking ring, said locking ring having wall portions arranged with respect to the walls of said channel to securely clamp the brush material therebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,045,373 6/1936 Sculley et a1. 15-182 2,288,337 6/1942 Whittle 15-179 X 2,789,302 4/1957 Schofield 15-179 3,139,642 7/1964 Nelson et al. 15-181 X 3,168,756 2/1965 Koback 15-182 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,851 6/1931 Germany.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

PETER FELDMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A ROTARY BRUSH WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF FORMING A CYLINDRICAL HUB HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PAIRS OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING AXIALLY SPACED PRONGS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE SURFACE THEREOF, ASSEMBLING BRUSH MATERIAL TRANSVERSELY ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE HUB BETWEEN SAID PRONGS, PLACING A LOCKING RING OVER THE BRUSH MATERIAL ENCIRCLING THE HUB MEMBER, FLANGING UP THE OPPOSED EDGE PORTIONS OF THE HUB AND BRINGING THE ENDS OF THE PRONGS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSED AXIALLY SPACED POSITIONS ON THE LOCKING RING BY COMPRESSING THE FLARED SIDES OF THE HUB RING UNTIL THE EDGES OF THE LOCKING RING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTACT.
 7. A CYLINDRICAL ROTARY BRUSH COMPRISING A HUB RING OF SUBSTANTIALLY CHANNEL FORM IN CROSS-SECTION HAVING A BASE AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING SIDE WALLS, TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED AXIALLY SPACED PRONGS ANGULARLY PROJECTING FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE BASE AND SIDE WALLS OF SAID HUB RING INTO THE CHANNEL OF THE HUB RING AT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS THEREABOUT AND SERVING TO DEFINED POCKETS BETWEEN AXIALLY SPACED PRONGS FOR THE RECEPTION OF BRUSH MATERIAL, A LOCKING RING DISPOSED IN THE CHANNEL AND ENGAGING THE ENDS OF THE PRONGS, BRUSH MATERIAL DISPOSED IN THE CHANNEL POCKETS BETWEEN SAID HUB RING AND SAID LOCKING RING, SAID LOCKING RING HAVING WALL PORTIONS ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO THE WALLS OF SAID CHANNEL TO SECURELY CLAMP THE BRUSH MATERIAL THEREBETWEEN. 